Muhammad and LeRoy: A Friendship in Art

Color photograph of LeRoy Neiman and Muhammad Ali with LeRoy's piece, Athlete of the Century. Muhammad is looking at the large serigraph and has his hands balled in fists, holding a punch at the painted image of himself. This stance is reminiscent of his younger years, during which he would often pose with fans, friends, and/or celebrities in a similar fashion. Meanwhile, LeRoy is standing to the left of the serigraph, facing the camera and smiling with his fists balled as well. 

Neiman once said, “All of my experiences and observations of Ali are summed up in this portrait. The painting is for me the quintessential, colorful, confident Ali. It shows his fighting face, with that theatrical flair that…extended…far beyond the boxing ring." The photograph was captured during a visit Muhammad paid to LeRoy's studio in New York City, New York in 2001.  

Photograph by Lynn Quayle, courtesy of the LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation.